For many years, toy guns have been very popular with children of various ages. Some of the earliest and crudest toy guns consisted of little more than a block of wood carved to resemble a real gun. Over time many efforts have been made to develop improved toy guns that better capture and hold the attention of children. Through this process, more sophisticated toys have been developed.
For example, in recent years, toy guns which launch harmless projectiles have become popular. In one example of such guns, soft foam projectiles are launched by a blast of air developed by a reciprocating plunger contained within a toy gun housing. These guns are advantageous in that the projectiles and the air blast developed by the reciprocating plunger are harmless, and the moving plunger is safely contained within the housing thereby ensuring that no injury can result from use of the toy.
The toy market changes rapidly. Children are constantly interested in toys with new features. Therefore, it is desirable to develop new toy guns with new functions and features which will capture the interest of children and provide increased play value.